The 2024 Ozarks Technical Community College Commencement Ceremony student speaker is Robert-Thomas Gumersell. The 21-year-old Springfield native is receiving his Associate of Arts in General Studies and a Certificate of Specialization in Honors Studies. Robert-Thomas, known around campus as R.T., started attending OTC as a dual-enrolled home school high school student when he was 18.…
Nine Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored today, Thursday, April 11, at the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Student Leadership and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Awards Luncheon at Stephens College in Columbia. The PTK/MCCA All-Missouri Team recognizes high-achieving two-year college students who demonstrate academic excellence, intellectual rigor, leadership, and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. …
JMARK CEO Tom Douglas will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 16, at 5 p.m. Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus is the site for the graduation ceremony. JMARK is a Springfield-based information technology company with a “People First, Technology Second” philosophy. “Good people aspire…
The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) awarded Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus President Dr. Robert Griffith with the Paragon Award for New Presidents. Dr. Griffith was honored during PTK Catalyst 2024, held April 4-6 in Orlando, Fla. Catalyst is the society’s annual convention. Dr. Griffith is one of just 24 college presidents…
Educators devote limitless time, and often their own resources, to helping students pursue their passions. To recognize the contributions of Missouri’s leading agricultural teachers, Nationwide and the Missouri FFA Foundation are honoring exceptional teachers as semi-finalists for the Missouri Golden Owl Award. This was the inaugural year for the Golden Owl Award contest in Missouri.…
Mallory Grant, a student at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Richwood Valley Campus, has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Academic Team Silver Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. Grant graduated from Nixa High School in 2022 and plans to graduate from OTC in May 2024 with an Associate of Arts in Business. The Coca-Cola Scholars…
Robert-Thomas Gumersell, an Ozarks Technical Community College student, has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Gumersell graduated from Home School in 2022. He plans to graduate from OTC in May 2024 with an Associate of Arts degree and a Certificate of Specialization in Honors Studies. The…
It will come with little fanfare other than a quick mention in the news and an even quicker cutaway to the floor of Congress, but this September will mark 30 years of the Violence Against Women’s Women Act. Since its enactment in 1994, VAWA has been instrumental in supporting survivors, enhancing legal protections and fostering…
Ozarks Technical Community College student group Politically Active will host “Springfield Votes” on March 20. The event will allow voters to meet with all candidates running for the Springfield School Board in the April 2 election. “Springfield Votes” will run from 5-7:30 p.m. in the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing on the OTC Springfield Campus. …
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Graphic Design Technology students earned 21 medals, two prestigious Judges’ Awards and Best of Show at the 2024 Heartland Addy Awards. The event recognized the top advertising of 2023 for the Heartland Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. The 2024 Addy Awards were held on Saturday, March 2, at Downstream Casino…
Ozarks Technical Community College students Mitchell Eddings and Robert-Thomas (R.T.) Gumersell represented OTC during the annual Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values held February 16-18, 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Forum challenges students’ character development by encouraging them to reflect on their own decision-making skills, values, and belief systems. Students learn…
Many people can recall spending hundreds of dollars on a college textbook and then choosing to sell it back for pennies on the dollar at the end of the semester or keep it. Now, thanks to Open Education Resources (OER), students never have to make that choice. Open Educational Resources are no-cost teaching, learning…
The number of Ozarks Technical Community College students receiving a financial aid instrument targeted at adult students pursuing training in high-demand fields more than tripled during the last school year. The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is primarily designed for students 25 and older who desire careers in fields like nursing, manufacturing and teaching. For…
Like many people who study healthcare later in life, their child’s medical challenges trigger an interest in the profession. That is the case for Ozarks Technical Community College student Arica Timmons. When her son was born in 2007, he suffered a brachial plexus injury during delivery, which affected his ability to use his right arm.…
The annual Innovation Celebration featured ideas to support student success and awards for Ozarks Technical Community College’s top employees. OTC’s full-time employees gathered at the White River Conference Center to celebrate the college’s student-centered culture on Tuesday, Feb. 20. At OTC, faculty and staff continuously create new ways to support students, improve on-campus life…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s first bachelor’s degree program experienced dramatic growth in its second year. The bachelor’s in respiratory therapy debuted in January of 2023 with a handful of students, but when classes began for the Spring 2024 semester, the new program had 16 first-year students. “This year, we’ve had more time to attract students,…
Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Chancellor’s List, Dean’s List and Provost’s List recipients! Students who complete 12 or more credit hours in a fall or spring semester are eligible for the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List. Recognition is based on the grade point average during that semester. The Chancellor’s List requires a GPA of 3.85…
After much anticipation, the streamlined and simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for students to complete for the 2024-2025 school year. The FAFSA is a requirement for any student who hopes to obtain federal or state financial aid tools such as Pell Grants or Access Missouri. Cherelle Washington with the Missouri College…
In Barrie Talbott’s Composition II course, she has her Ozarks Technical Community College students complete a research project and deliver an in-class presentation every semester. “I want my students to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills,” Barrie said. “We also work on professionalism so they are prepared for any career or advanced academic pursuits.” …
The term “robot surgery” may conjure up images of droids tending to humans in “Star Wars.” But robot-assisted surgery is not a fantasy a science fiction writer conjures up. It is a surgical technique growing in popularity among health professionals. Previously, Ozarks Technical Community College students could only read about robot surgery in textbooks…
Photo caption: OTC Trustee J. Howard Fisk (right) presents Daniel Bowles with the Outstanding OTC Student Veteran Award. The Ozarks Technical Community College Outstanding Student Veteran is a self-described “military brat.” Daniel Bowles was born in Germany and bounced between Georgia and Tennessee during his father’s Army career. After he graduated from high school in…
Welcome back, Eagles! We hope your fall semester is off to a great start. Are you planning to stay organized and in the know this year? We’ve compiled five of our best hacks guaranteed to keep you informed and on top of your game as a college student. 1. Sync your OTC email to your…
When Eli Smith enrolled in classes at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Lebanon Center in 2006, he had his sights set on a career in law enforcement. Teaching was Eli’s backup plan. Almost two decades later, Eli is a teacher. But rather than instructing high schoolers in history or physical education, he trains Marines how to…
Army medic Daniel Bowles has seen his share of disturbing situations that would scare most people and make them queasy. During his first tour of duty in Afghanistan with a Calvary unit, Daniel worked on his wounded comrades battling the Taliban. He also treated Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire. Given those experiences, you would…
Michaela Foster looks out of place in the Ozarks Technical Community College welding lab. Well shy of five feet tall, her gloves, hood and welding jacket practically swallow her up. But she has plenty of time to grow into the protective equipment, the 12-year-old is only a seventh grader, but she’s already welding. “You take…
